Saturday, 16 July 2011
Saturday, 5 March 2011
Sat 05/03/11: girls group: Test for Gratitude:The story of the Angel and the 3 men
Programme:
- Taking notes for previous sessions and checking retention and understanding
- Sticking pictures from cooking activity in scrapbook
Reading - Answering questions from worksheet
- Reflecting with the girls
- Giving little rewards for traffic light box activity
Lessons:
- Importance of being grateful to keep Allah’s blessings with us
- Importance of expressing gratitude with feelings/words/actions
- To be grateful in words
- Alhamdulilah (for Allah)
- Thanks or Cheers or Merci or Shukran … to people
- But Jazakallahu khairan is better and will get us more rewards because it is sunnah
- Girls to make a plan to be more grateful towards their parents
- They will pick 3 things to improve on and 3 things to avoid to help them with that
Story of Three Men from Bani Israel
A Leper, a Blind Man & a Bald Headed Man
Narrated Abu Hairara (Radi Allah Anhu) that he heard Allah's Messenger (sal-allahu- alleihi-wasallam ) saying, "Allah willed to test three Israelis who were leper, a blind man and a bald headed man. So, He sent them an angel who came to leper and said, 'What thing do you like most? He replied, 'Good color and good skin, for the people have a strong aversion to me.' The angel touched him and his illness was cured, and he was given a good color and beautiful skin. The angel asked him, 'What kind of property do you like best?' He replied, 'Camels'. So he (i.e. the leper) was given a pregnant she-camel, and the angel said, 'May Allah bless you in it.'
The angel then went to the bald headed man and said, 'What thing do you like most?' He said, 'I like good hair and wish to be cured of this disease, for the people feel repulsion for me.' The angel touched him and his illness was cured, and he was given good hair. The angel asked (him), 'What kind of property do you like best?' He replied, 'Cows.' The angel gave him a pregnant cow and said, 'May Allah bless you in it.'
The angel went to the blind man and asked, 'What thing do you like best?' He said, '(I like) that Allah may restore my eye. sight to me so that I may see the people.' The angel touched his eyes and Allah gave him back his eye-sight. The angel asked him, 'What kind of property do you like best?' He replied, 'Sheep.' The angel gave him a pregnant sheep. Afterwards, all the three pregnant animals gave birth to young ones, and multiplied and brought forth so much that one of the (three) men had a herd of camels filling a valley, and one had a herd of cows filling a valley, and one had a flock of sheep filling a valley.
Then the angel, disguised in the shape and appearance of a leper, went to the leper and said, 'I am a poor man, who has lost all means of livelihood while on a journey. So none will satisfy my need except Allah and then you. In the Name of Him Who has given you such nice color and beautiful skin, and so much property, I ask you to give me a camel so that I may reach my destination' . The man replied, 'I have many obligations (so I cannot give you).' The angel said, 'I think I know you. Were you not a leper to whom the people had a strong aversion? Weren't you a poor man, and then Allah gave you (all this property).' He replied, '(This is all wrong), I got this property through inheritance from my fore- fathers.' The angel said, 'If you are telling a lie, then let Allah make you as you were before.'
Then the angel, disguised in the shape and appearance of a bald man, went to the bald man and said to him the same as he told the first one, and he too answered the same as the first one did. The angel said, 'If you are telling a lie, then let Allah make you as you were before.' The angel, disguised in the shape of a blind man, went to the blind man and said, 'I am a poor man and a traveler, whose means of livelihood have been exhausted while on a journey. I have nobody to help me except Allah, and after Him, you yourself. I ask you in the Name of Him Who has given you back your eyesight to give me a sheep, so that with its help, I may complete my journey'. The man said, 'No doubt, I was blind and Allah gave me back my eyesight; I was poor and Allah made me rich; so take anything you wish from my property. By Allah, I will not stop you for taking anything (you need) of my property which you may take for Allah's sake.' The angel replied, 'Keep your property with you. You (i.e. three men) have been tested and Allah is pleased with you and is angry with your two companions.'
Monday, 14 February 2011
February break activity
Alhamdulillah, a last minute decision to round up our boys worked wonderfully. I think every single one of us enjoyed the day.
The boys prayed together and sang nasyid (with duff :) believe it or not).. We have burger for lunch that the boys make their own fillings. Even before they start eating, some of them already asked if they can have seconds.. So cute!
And as part of Rabi'ul Awwal, the kids are given quizzes to answer on Rasul 'alayhi solatu wassalam and we have pass-the-parcel with a bit of seerah in it :) I think the toughest question for them was who was Halimah? (The boys were between 8-12 years old).
We did some art-and-craft and the kids enjoyed popcorn competetion! They have to compete eating popcorns in a bowl without using their hands. They just love being challenged!!
But most important of all, they can't wait to play football outside. We had some chocolate cake and the kids head outside to play. When my DO came home, she said the girls ate healthy foods.. my son answered back, 'We ate burgers and cakes but then we played football outside..' It was healthy afterall ;)
May Allah make our children love His Prophet Sallallahu 'alayhi wa alihi wasallam and guide them all the time.
The boys prayed together and sang nasyid (with duff :) believe it or not).. We have burger for lunch that the boys make their own fillings. Even before they start eating, some of them already asked if they can have seconds.. So cute!
And as part of Rabi'ul Awwal, the kids are given quizzes to answer on Rasul 'alayhi solatu wassalam and we have pass-the-parcel with a bit of seerah in it :) I think the toughest question for them was who was Halimah? (The boys were between 8-12 years old).
We did some art-and-craft and the kids enjoyed popcorn competetion! They have to compete eating popcorns in a bowl without using their hands. They just love being challenged!!
But most important of all, they can't wait to play football outside. We had some chocolate cake and the kids head outside to play. When my DO came home, she said the girls ate healthy foods.. my son answered back, 'We ate burgers and cakes but then we played football outside..' It was healthy afterall ;)
May Allah make our children love His Prophet Sallallahu 'alayhi wa alihi wasallam and guide them all the time.
Saturday, 5 February 2011
Saturday, 29 January 2011
Sat 29/01/11: girls group: Taqwa(piety) and the system of traffic light
Programme:
Lessons:
The story of the MILK and WATER
One night, Caliph Umar (radiAllahu anhu) as usual went in disguise with his companion Ibn Abbas to see the condition of the people. They strolled from one quarter to another. At last they came to a colony where poor people lived…
While passing by a small house, the Caliph (radiAllahu anhu) heard a whispering talk within. The mother was telling her daughter that the amount of milk fetched by her for sale that day was very little. She told her that when she was young, and used to sell milk, she always mixed water with milk, and that led to considerable profit. She advised her daughter to do the same. The girl said, "You adulterated milk, when you were not a Muslim. Now that we are Muslims, we cannot adulterate milk." The mother said that Islam did not stand in the way of adulteration of milk.The daughter said, "Have you forgotten the Caliph's order? He wants that the milk should not be adulterated." The mother said, "But the Caliph has forgotten us. We are so poor, what else should we do but adulterate milk in order win bread?" The daughter said "Such a bread would not be lawful, and as a Muslim I would not do anything which is against the orders of the Caliph (radiAllahu anhu) , and whereby other Muslims are deceived." The mother said, "But there is neither the Caliph nor any of his officers here to see what we do. Daughter you are still a child. Go to bed now and tomorrow I will myself mix the milk with water for you." The girl refused to fall in with the plan of her mother. She said, "Caliph may or may not be here, but his order must be obeyed. My conscience is my Caliph. You may escape the notice of the Caliph and his officers, but how can we escape the notice of Allah and our own conscience." Thereupon the mother remained quiet. The lamp was extinguished and the mother and the daughter went to sleep. The next day, Caliph Umar (radiAllahu anhu) sent a man to purchase milk from the girl. The milk was unadulterated. The girl kept her resolve. Caliph Umar (radiAllahu anhu) turned to his companion and said, "The girl has kept her resolve in spite of the exhortation of her mother. She deserves a reward. What reward should I give her? She should be paid some money," said Ibn Abbas. Caliph Umar (radiAllahu anhu) said, "Such a girl would become a great mother. Her integrity is not to be weighed with few coins; it is to be measured in the scale of national values. I shall offer her the highest award in my gift, and which shall also be in the highest interest of the nation." The Caliph (radiAllahu anhu) summoned the daughter and the mother to his court. The mother trembled as she stood before the mighty ruler. But the girl faced the Caliph boldly and with great equanimity.She was beautiful, and there was an impressive dignity about her. Then before the gathering, Caliph Umar (radiAllahu anhu) related how he had overheard the mother and the daughter, and how in spite of the exhortations of the mother the daughter had kept her resolve. Someone suggested that the mother should be taken to task. The Caliph (radiAllahu anhu) said that ordinarily he would have punished the mother, but he had forgiven her for the sake of her daughter.Turning to the girl the great Caliph (radiAllahu anhu) said, "Islam needs daughters like you and as a Caliph of Islam it devolves on me to reward you by owning you as a daughter." The Caliph called his sons, and addressing them said, "Here is a gem of a girl who would make a great mother. I desire that one of you should take this girl as wife. I know of no better bride than this girl of sterling character. In matters of wedlock, it should be the character and not the stature in life that should count." Abdullah and Abdur Rahman the elder sons of the Caliph (radiAllahu anhu) were already married. Asim the third son was yet unmarried, and he offered to marry the girl. Thereupon with the consent of the milkmaid and her mother Asim was married to the girl, and milkmaid became the daughter-in-law of the Caliph(radiAllahu anhu) . From this union was born a daughter Umm Asim, who became in due course the mother of Umar bin Abdul Aziz. Umar bin AbdulAziz was elected as Caliph and served for a short period during 717 - 720.While other Caliphs of the Ummayad dynasty reveled in luxury, Umar bin Abdul Aziz as a Caliph set up standards for austerity and simplicity following in the footsteps of Caliph Umar (radiAllahu anhu) , the second Caliph of Islam.It is said that if ever there was a noble Caliph after the first four Rightly guided Caliphs,such a man was Umar bin Abdul Aziz. And he inherited the noble qualities of the milkmaid who married the Caliph's son, and those of Caliph Umar Farooq who had the eye to discern the nobler qualities of sterling character in a poor girl.
While passing by a small house, the Caliph (radiAllahu anhu) heard a whispering talk within. The mother was telling her daughter that the amount of milk fetched by her for sale that day was very little. She told her that when she was young, and used to sell milk, she always mixed water with milk, and that led to considerable profit. She advised her daughter to do the same. The girl said, "You adulterated milk, when you were not a Muslim. Now that we are Muslims, we cannot adulterate milk." The mother said that Islam did not stand in the way of adulteration of milk.The daughter said, "Have you forgotten the Caliph's order? He wants that the milk should not be adulterated." The mother said, "But the Caliph has forgotten us. We are so poor, what else should we do but adulterate milk in order win bread?" The daughter said "Such a bread would not be lawful, and as a Muslim I would not do anything which is against the orders of the Caliph (radiAllahu anhu) , and whereby other Muslims are deceived." The mother said, "But there is neither the Caliph nor any of his officers here to see what we do. Daughter you are still a child. Go to bed now and tomorrow I will myself mix the milk with water for you." The girl refused to fall in with the plan of her mother. She said, "Caliph may or may not be here, but his order must be obeyed. My conscience is my Caliph. You may escape the notice of the Caliph and his officers, but how can we escape the notice of Allah and our own conscience." Thereupon the mother remained quiet. The lamp was extinguished and the mother and the daughter went to sleep. The next day, Caliph Umar (radiAllahu anhu) sent a man to purchase milk from the girl. The milk was unadulterated. The girl kept her resolve. Caliph Umar (radiAllahu anhu) turned to his companion and said, "The girl has kept her resolve in spite of the exhortation of her mother. She deserves a reward. What reward should I give her? She should be paid some money," said Ibn Abbas. Caliph Umar (radiAllahu anhu) said, "Such a girl would become a great mother. Her integrity is not to be weighed with few coins; it is to be measured in the scale of national values. I shall offer her the highest award in my gift, and which shall also be in the highest interest of the nation." The Caliph (radiAllahu anhu) summoned the daughter and the mother to his court. The mother trembled as she stood before the mighty ruler. But the girl faced the Caliph boldly and with great equanimity.She was beautiful, and there was an impressive dignity about her. Then before the gathering, Caliph Umar (radiAllahu anhu) related how he had overheard the mother and the daughter, and how in spite of the exhortations of the mother the daughter had kept her resolve. Someone suggested that the mother should be taken to task. The Caliph (radiAllahu anhu) said that ordinarily he would have punished the mother, but he had forgiven her for the sake of her daughter.Turning to the girl the great Caliph (radiAllahu anhu) said, "Islam needs daughters like you and as a Caliph of Islam it devolves on me to reward you by owning you as a daughter." The Caliph called his sons, and addressing them said, "Here is a gem of a girl who would make a great mother. I desire that one of you should take this girl as wife. I know of no better bride than this girl of sterling character. In matters of wedlock, it should be the character and not the stature in life that should count." Abdullah and Abdur Rahman the elder sons of the Caliph (radiAllahu anhu) were already married. Asim the third son was yet unmarried, and he offered to marry the girl. Thereupon with the consent of the milkmaid and her mother Asim was married to the girl, and milkmaid became the daughter-in-law of the Caliph(radiAllahu anhu) . From this union was born a daughter Umm Asim, who became in due course the mother of Umar bin Abdul Aziz. Umar bin AbdulAziz was elected as Caliph and served for a short period during 717 - 720.While other Caliphs of the Ummayad dynasty reveled in luxury, Umar bin Abdul Aziz as a Caliph set up standards for austerity and simplicity following in the footsteps of Caliph Umar (radiAllahu anhu) , the second Caliph of Islam.It is said that if ever there was a noble Caliph after the first four Rightly guided Caliphs,such a man was Umar bin Abdul Aziz. And he inherited the noble qualities of the milkmaid who married the Caliph's son, and those of Caliph Umar Farooq who had the eye to discern the nobler qualities of sterling character in a poor girl.
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